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Springfield-to-Northfield train line to be purchased by state to restore Knowledge Corridor Rail Line

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Pan Am rail cars on tracks near Market and North streets in Northampton, July 10, 2014. The state has announced an agreement in principal to purchase the Pan Am Southern line from the company.
(GREG SAULMON / REPUBLICAN FILE)

GREENFIELD — The state is planning to purchase the Pan Am Southern rail line to create a 49-mile track that will run from Northfield to Greenfield, Northampton, Holyoke and Springfield.

In a visit to Greenfield Wednesday morning, Gov. Deval Patrick announced an agreement in principle to purchase and restore the so-called Knowledge Corridor Rail Line.

The project will restore the original route of Amtrack’s Vermonter travelling between St. Albans, Vt. and Washington D.C., which is currently routed through Palmer and Amherst.

The route restoration is designed for more efficient passenger service and to enhance freight service, with the goal of taking more trucks off the road, Patrick said in a written statement.

"For close to 100 years, the Commonwealth's rail infrastructure was the lifeblood of economic vitality for communities in Franklin and Berkshire counties, and across Western Massachusetts," he said. "Through this agreement, we are realizing the renewed value this infrastructure can have in creating economic opportunities throughout the region."

The $115 million project is being funded with a $75 million grant from the Federal Railroad Administration and $40 million in state funds, the statement said.

The project began in August 2012 and includes the replacement of 95,000 rail ties, new continuously welded rail, upgrades to six bridges and new public crossings with warning signals.

Once the purchase is completed, the restoration on the Pan Am Southern line will start in Northfield and run south to Springfield. It also calls for the construction for new station platforms in Greenfield, Northampton and Holyoke.

When completed, the service is expected to reduce trip times by 25 minutes. Passenger service on the line ended in the 1980s and was rerouted southeast to Palmer, where trains reverse direction and head West to Springfield.

The agreement in principal was hailed by a number of Western Massachusetts lawmakers, including U.S. Reps. James McGovern, D-Worcester and Richard E. Neal, D- Springfield; State Sens. Stanley Rosenberg, D-Amherst and James T. Welch, D-West Springfield and State Reps. Aaron Vega, D-Holyoke, Peter V. Kocot D-Northampton, Stephen Kulik D-Worthington and Ellen Story, D-Amherst.

"The Knowledge Corridor is a rail asset that will play a key role in the region's transportation system, both by delivering improved customer service in the form of faster travel times, as well as by being built to a standard that can accommodate more freight," said state Department of Transportation Secretary Richard A. Davey. "Purchasing the line will also allow us to preserve the line's viability for the long-term, and will position the Commonwealth to use this line for increased passenger service that could provide commuters in the region a competitive alternative to driving on I-91."

Jeff Ciuffreda, president of the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield, said the purchase puts the crucial rail line under local control.

"It opens up more possibilities for commuter rail. Then the question is: To what level do you subsidize that to get people out of their cars," he said.